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Katoomba to Kanangra
The Katoomba to Kanangra (K2K) 4 day hike is a spectacular route through the heart of the southern Blue Mountains wilderness. The route includes high camps, gentle riverside glades, rocky ridge tops, steep and rugged terrain and the spectacular Kanangra plateau.
About The Katoomba to Kanangra Walk
Usually referred to "Kanangra to Katoomba" or K2K, this is a classic walk in the southern Blue Mountains. The walk includes the spectacular Kanangra Walls, the Gangerang Range, the Coxs River valley, the Wild Dog Mountains and the Narrow Neck plateau. These represent some of the iconic and best known landscapes in the southern Blue Mountains.
Although the route can be done by an extremely fit trail runner in 12-15 hours, most bushwalking groups attempt the walk over a somewhat more pedestrian 3 or 4 days. By allowing this amount of time you can enjoy the spectacular scenery, make side trips to points of interest such as Splendour Rock, and enjoy a couple of nights camping away from it all.
The hike incorporates the summit of Mt Cloudmaker, one of the famous Blue Mountains Three Peaks, and most walkers passing over this summit would sign the logbook there.
The total distance of the walk is 52km, with a total of 3044m of ascent and 2991m of descent over the 3-4 days!
Would you like to do this hike with an experienced guide? Join one of my informally yet professionally led and well organised expeditions in one of the most spectacular wilderness areas in New South Wales. I have had more than 30 years experience of bushwalking along this route and would welcome you on this trip. My trips allow you the autonomy of bringing your own gear and food, whilst providing you full guiding services, navigation, knowledge of the route and area, and organisation of all the logistics. Join a group of like minded people to hike this iconic route with the reassurance of it being led by an experienced guide.
Being a point to point walk, one of the logistical challenges is arranging transport to or from Kanangra Walls. Kanangra Walls is at the terminus of the Kanangra Walls road, about 1 hour and 40 minutes' drive from Katoomba. There is no public transport to or from Kanangra Walls so private transport needs to be arranged for pickup from or dropoff at Kanangra Walls. This will be arranged by me as part of my service to you. A chartered minibus will be waiting for us at Kanangra and will take us back to Katoomba. The cost of this is included in the fee for the trip.
Although the walk can be done in either direction, I run the trip in the direction of Katoomba to Kanangra, organise vehicles to be waiting for us at Kanangra Walls so that when we finish the walk at Kanangra, we have immediate access to private transport back to Katoomba, via, of course, the Hampton Half Way House hotel for a well earned refreshment on the way home!
Splendour Rock. We will camp near here on the first night.
Another challenge of this walk is the descent of Tarros Ladders, which is a cliff face with metal spikes in them which you use as handholds and footholds to descend. It is exposed and some people may feel insecure on a vertical rockface with no more than metal spikes to hold onto with hands and feet. Fortunately an alternative descent route called Duncan's Pass is nearby, and this route is available for anyone not wishing to descend on the metal spikes.